Think and Love
by Sterys
Summary: Captain James Norrington thinks, and loves. Just a quick one-shot about what might happen in his head. Updated.


A story originally written two years ago after a four-hour French exam. I decided to rewrite it ; I could no longer bear to look at the numerous grammar mistakes, words that didn't exist and sentences that did not mean anything. This version is still flawed but at least it is readable… or so I think. Of course the characters don't belong to me; I wouldn't be posting this on a fanfiction website if it wasn't the case.

 _ **Think and Love**_

It was a summer morning in the Caribbean. The air was hot and heavy and the birds were singing as if their last days were coming. Despite the oncoming storm displaying its threatening strays of grey clouds upon the sea, Captain James Norrington had decided to take a walk on a hill near Port Royal. He wanted to breathe some fresh air after days of balls and parties. He would never dare admit it to Weatherby Swann but the Caribbean high society was in many ways even more boring than its English counterpart. The fat lords and ladies believed that the local inhabitants were all pirates. Norrington preferred the sea where sailors did not talk about the next fashion trend that as probably already outdated in London.

However, not everyone in the Port Royal high society treated him like a Captain always at sea. There was Weatherby Swann's young and only daughter, Elizabeth. The one who should feel at ease among her kin often dreamed of sailing across the ocean. There was a quality to her freshness and her innocent, a beauty to her youth that made her shine through his days.

Norrington was not blind and had long ago learned to decipher people's look on their face. He perfectly knew the reason why Elizabeth didn't enjoy her golden prison. She was only a teenage rebel. Had she been born in another time, in another place, she would probably have wanted another life as well. She longed for a life of adventures but above all she resented all forms of authority. But in spite of this knowledge, Norrington had grown quite fond of the young woman.

Elizabeth was a seventeen-year-old lady who enjoyed pirate stories and did not have many lady friends. It was well known in Port Royal that her best friend was a young blacksmith named William Turner, whom she had rescued from a certain death eight years before. The young man was good-hearted and had undoubtedly been taught how to behave with a lady who outranked him. Norrington was not blind either on that point. Elizabeth liked Will because he was the gateway to the pirate life she had always dreamed of since she was but a toddler. The boy had few things in common with Elizabeth. She was a burning fire where he was as calm as a pond in the middle of a snowy winter.

Norrington went on his walk on the hill near the Governor's mansion. He knew that if Elizabeth found young Will Turner to be boring, she probably thought that the Captain was some sort of straight-faced marine officer whose life goal was to become an Admiral. Norrington suddenly felt a surge of protestation running through his body. He was certainly not craving the highest rank, although he knew young women were attracted by highly-ranked men. He didn't want to attract any young women, did he?

It was very common for women to have older husbands. The age gap did not matter compared to the amount of money owned by the future spouses. Norrington knew that as soon as Elizabeth turned sixteen, an awful lot of old men with half their teeth missing had begun to court her. Neither Weatherby Swann nor Norrington wanted Elizabeth to marry one of those old men. Had the Governor not occupied such a high position, he would have accepted the marriage of his only daughter with William Turner. He had never possessed Norrington's keen eye, or his sharp wit, and therefore could not see the unbalanced relationship between dear Elizabeth and poor Will.

However, Norrington knew – and a small smile appeared on his face – that himself was a good party. Not that young, not that old, not really wealthy but not keen on his finances either. The only thing that made him wince was the thought of a lonely Elizabeth bearing his child while he was at sea…

Norrington was now at the top of the hill. Port Royal was a little town under his gaze, its inhabitants moving like tiny ants. No, he thought. Now was not a good time to daydream about a hypothetical marriage. God knew the road was long before Elizabeth agreed to give up her pirate life for him. Norrington knew pirate towns were no good places for a person raised in the high society. He never enjoyed shattering people's dreams but _it was for her own good_.

In a corner of his heart, he could not help but think about marrying Elizabeth. If he proposed to her, it would repel all the grey-haired lords and make sure she lived a comfortable life. The problem was a single word, a single idea: _love_. Whether he liked it or not, he knew Elizabeth would never be his. She was a wild creature, untamed and longing for freedom. And yet he felt an intense need to protect her from everything that could harm her. He knew he could not let her live a life of danger, for both her sake… and his.

His decision was taken. He would ask Weatherby Swann if he could court his daughter, so he could at least preserve her from the old men that were now part of her life. He knew he was being selfish, he knew he was only trying to make her _see_ him, he knew that he was helpless, he knew he would only hurt himself when she would try to push him away,

but he loved her.


End file.
